Arizona is experiencing a rapid decline in enrollment in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which is putting Arizona children and families at risk of going hungry. In the past year, over 47% of Arizonans have lost their SNAP benefits, with almost half of the children enrolled in SNAP losing access to help that puts food on their tables.
A steep decline has occurred since H.R.1, formally titled One Big Beautiful Bill, went into effect. From August 2025 to February 2026, enrollment in Arizona declined at an alamering pace. Over 400,000 Arizonans – with more than 175,000 children – have lost critical support they rely on to afford groceries. The enactment of this harmful federal law dramatically shifts costs to states and increases hunger in our nation. Arizona has seen the greatest drop in enrollment of any state in the country.
New SNAP Tracker Shed Light on Impact to People
While the federal administration moves to reduce and eliminate data, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is working to preserve it. CBPP created a SNAP tracker so we can understand how loss of food assistance is impacting our state.
What Can Help Children and Families?
While work continues to retract the harmful federal H.R. 1, we must mitigate the number of eligible Arizonans who lose SNAP benefits due to implementation of this harmful federal law.
Children’s Action Alliance is advocating for the following:
At the State Legislature:
CAA urges the legislature and Governor to include $16.6 million in the state budget this year for the Arizona Department of Economic Security to modernize and staff their SNAP eligibility and enrollment systems to keep up with the changes required by H.R. 1.
CAA urges opposition to legislation that creates additional obstacles and bureaucracy for administration of the SNAP program for Arizonans. Governor Hobbs has vetoed such bills and we implore her to continue to do so.
In Congress:
CAA urges Congress to delay the unprecedented shift of SNAP costs to states for two years. Like bipartisan calls from state and local leaders from across the country, we continue to sound the alarm about the harm that is being experienced and how that will accelerate without congressional intervention.
Our families, neighbors, and community members should not go hungry.
Are Arizona’s 3-Year-Olds Healthy and Ready to Learn?
A Look at Early Childhood Development Data
Early childhood development is not just cute preschool pictures, it is about the foundation we set for a child’s lifelong success. By the time a child is 3, their brain grows to about 80% of adult size and 90%, nearly full grown, by age 5. The early years of a child’s life are critical for building the foundation of learning, health, and wellness needed to succeed in school and later in life. That’s why the latest national and state data on 3-year-old development, including a troubling picture for Arizona, deserves our attention.
A child who scores “on track” across these areas is considered “healthy and ready to learn”, which means the child has the foundation they need to succeed as they enter school and begin formal learning. Nationally, about 64.1% of 3-year-olds in the United States met this standard. As that is encouraging, there’s significant variation across states.
Why Arizona’s Youngest Learners Need Our Attention
While a majority of children nationwide are on track, Arizona’s data tells a different story. Many states exceed the national average for children considered ready to learn. However, Arizona is among those with some of the lowest readiness rates, ranking second lowest nationally at 48.9% in the percentage of 3-year-olds considered “healthy and ready to learn” compared to other states. This means a much smaller share of Arizona’s 3-year-olds are developmentally on track compared to their peers across the country.
Factors for Arizona’s challenges may be deepened by issues such as:
Low preschool access and enrollment: Arizona ranks low in preschool enrollment, which contributes to fewer early learning opportunities than most states.
Child well-being struggles: Arizona ranks among worst states for childhood well-being at 42nd overall. This is largely due to the education category, where the disparities are evident among Arizona’s youngest learners.
Children Ages 3 and 4 Not Enrolled in Early Learning
Together, these trends show that Arizona is not providing enough support early enough. If we invest early, we can have the greatest long-term impact.
What Arizona Can Do
Arizona’s low ranking is not just a statistic- it must be a call to action for our policymakers. To improve early childhood outcomes, Arizona must:
Increase access to quality preschool States with universal or state supported preschool programs often see higher readiness percentages. Programs that serve children ages 3 and up help build early learning and social skills that are essential for kindergarten success.
Invest in early childhood support services From developmental screenings to high-quality child care and early learning settings, investments now can reduce costly challenges later.
Support families and caregivers. Programs that help families with parenting resources, child care, and health access create environments where children can thrive
Expand quality early childhood infrastructure. Supporting the early childhood workforce and providers, improving child care capacity, and ensuring that families with low-incomes have access to quality early learning are critical steps.
A Future Where Every Child Is Ready
Arizona’s youngest learners deserve better. At Children’s Action Alliance, we believe that every child should have the chance to succeed, and our investments must reflect that long before kindergarten. An overwhelming majority of Arizona’s funding for early childhood programs is from the federal government, leaving a small portion of dedicated funding from state and local sources. Bipartisan efforts by Governor Hobbs and the Arizona Legislature have made the largest state investments in child care in more than a decade but more is needed. By focusing on early childhood development, especially in underserved communities, Arizona can close gaps, strengthen our K-12 education system, and build a more equitable future for all children.
As negotiations take place on Arizona’s next state budget, we urge policymakers to continue increasing funding for affordable child care and services that support the development and school-readiness of Arizona’s youngest children. We especially encourage a budget that prioritizes reducing the child care assistance waitlist and make funding available for a child care infrastructure grant program for rural and underserved communities.
Closing Arizona’s Child Care Gap: Why Investing in Infrastructure Matters
Across the state, too many families are struggling to find child care that is affordable, reliable, and close to home- and the challenge is even greater in rural and underserved communities. This problem is known as the child care gap. The child care gap measures the potential difference between how many licensed child care slots exist and how many children age five and under live in homes where all available parents are working. In Arizona, that gap is already 16.5% statewide. But in rural communities, the numbers are far more alarming. Safford faces a child care gap of 66.1%, while Payson’s gap is 60.6%-leaving the majority of working families with young children without reliable, accessible child care. That means there are so many families in some areas of Arizona that simply do not have access to child care- even if they want to work and can afford it.
Children do not have access to quality early learning that leads them to enter kindergarten ready to thrive
Parents are forced to cut back their work hours, leave jobs, or turn down better opportunities
Businesses struggle to hire and keep workers
The state loses billions of dollars each year in lost productivity and tax revenue
Child care is not just a family issue- it is a workforce issue, a business issue, and an economic issue.
So how do we fix it?
Arizona needs a policy solution that helps bring more child care providers into the market, especially in rural areas. Investing in infrastructure means helping with the cost of building, renovating, and equipping child care centers. It means supporting providers with start-up expenses so they can open their doors and serve more families. It means making long-term investments so child care programs can stay open and grow over time.
HB 2239 creates the Child Care Infrastructure Grant Program and Fund. This bill would provide targeted support to expand child care facilities, especially in rural and underserved communities where the need is greatest. Arizona has a proven track record of success in this area. The 2022–2023 Arizona Child Care Infrastructure Grant created new child care slots, improved the quality of care, increased provider capacity, and reduced waitlists. HB 2239 builds on that success by replicating a model that we already know works.
This bill is about more than buildings. It’s about giving parents more choices, helping businesses, and improving the quality of life for families. It’s about strengthening our workforce and supporting long-term economic growth. It’s about making sure rural Arizona is not left behind.
The child care gap did not happen overnight, and it will not be solved overnight. But with smart, proven investments in child care infrastructure, we can build a system that works for families, businesses, and our state. When we support families, we strengthen our economy. When our communities thrive, Arizona thrives. When we invest in our children, we invest in our future.
How Did Your Representative Vote on Keeping the Cost of Health Insurance Affordable?
Good News: Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill extending tax credits that make marketplace health insurance plans more affordable. Specifically, a bipartisan majority came together to pass Enhanced Premium Tax Credits (EPTC) for three years, providing vital financial support that helps consumers purchase or maintain health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace.
This matters because425,000 Arizonans receive their care through the ACA Marketplace, many of whom have seen their premiums increase significantly in 2026 without EPTC support. Now too many Arizonans are at risk of or are already unable to afford their health insurance and will go without coverage.
We thank Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Adelita Grijalva, and Greg Stanton for voting for this bill.
We are disappointed that Representatives Biggs, Ciscomani, Crane, Gosar, Hamadeh, and Schweikert opposed the bill.
Now the bill will move to the U.S. Senate. Senator Mark Kelly and Senator Ruben Gallego have repeatedly expressed support for keeping health care affordable, including through EPTC’s.
Please continue to share how rising ACA Marketplace premiums and the loss of subsidies impact you through letters to the editor of your local media, social media, and by keeping others informed. This bill can make a difference in keeping children and families insured, and there is more work ahead!
Children’s Action Alliance is kicking off the year ready to advance the well-being of children in Arizona and defend the gains we’ve collectively won in recent years.
In 2025, our staff traveled across the state to gather with community in child care town halls and in convenings focused on the well-being of children. With input from these gatherings and a year of federal policy changes, we start 2026 driving a common voice to create brighter futures for all Arizona kids and their families.
This year, priorities focus on various gaps and challenges in the lives of Arizona’s children, including AHCCCS and KidsCare health insurance, keeping kids safe, increasing supports to kinship families who care for children, strengthening access to affordable child care, preventing hunger, and supporting youth who are transitioning out of foster care, and much more.
During the 2026 legislative session, the Arizona State Legislature and Governor Hobbs will also vote on a state budget. Arizona kids need a state budget that sustains investments in K-12 education and in vital programs that promote child and family well-being.
We are committed to working with our incredible partners and every community member and leader who agrees that Arizona can be a place where all children and families thrive.
Arizona's Children Deserve Safety, Not Fear
All children deserve to grow up without fear but today, children in immigrant families are being denied this.
On Wednesday, December 17, 2025, leaders of Arizona organizations who serve and focus on children and youth joined a press call to share firsthand accounts of how the federal government’s mass deportation agenda is harming children and immigrant families across the state. Speakers detailed how current policies are tearing families apart, creating a chilling effect in communities, and undermining public safety.
“There’s a sense of brutality to the immigration enforcement taking place right now that has no place in our country, and that we want to keep very, very far away from children, said January Contreras, Executive Director, Children’s Action Alliance “We used to have immigration enforcement that honored sensitive zones – they didn’t go to K-12 schools, healthcare facilities, churches, or social service providers. Now, these spaces are all fair game, and parents and children live in fear of what will happen to them. Keep in mind, 93% of children in Arizona were born in the United States, so these are often mixed-status families. All children deserve safety – the current mode of immigration enforcement denies that to many young children in our state.”
Gladis Molina, Executive Director of the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights, shared: "Witnessing the federal government's response in immigrant communities – the National Guard deployment, the war machinery, the agents in masks – triggers memories of what I witnessed as a child during the Civil War in El Salvador. Across Arizona's vulnerable immigrant communities, kids are experiencing this trauma firsthand. They'll carry these memories for a lifetime,”
Carolina Silva, Executive Director of Scholarships A-Z, explained the fear in schools: “Immediately after the election, we saw students stop showing up to school altogether due to fear of deportation. One of these students, “Leilani,” is a star pupil in Tucson – but the silence after the election told her she wasn’t safe. She did not return to school until her district leadership sent a message confirming their commitment to all students, regardless of immigration status."
This is not normal. And it's harming Arizona's children.
Local Leaders Combined with Data Made for a Powerful State of Kids Roadshow
Children’s Action Alliance is proud to be the KIDS COUNT ® partner in Arizona to the Annie E Casey Foundation. In this role, we dive into the data that tells us how children are faring in areas like health coverage, hunger, economic security, education, and more. We hope community leaders and members across Arizona can use this data to help tackle challenges and uplift successes for children in their own communities.
Earlier this year, we published the Arizona KIDS COUNT Data Book based on data available as late as 2024. We share this resource so you can learn what share of children in your county live with families who afford groceries with help from SNAP, lack health insurance, or are graduating from high school within four years. This information is provided to inform and support the work in your community!
This year, in addition to publishing the book, Children’s Action Alliance also kicked off a State of Kids Roadshow to use Arizona’s KIDS COUNT data to gather local leaders and providers together to center children and what the data tells us. All who came brought their own stories of what they see, what they’re proud of that is happening for kids, and what concerns they feel need to be urgently addressed. The roadshow was powerful in combining data driven information with local voices and people of action.
We are proud to have partnered and gathered with so many committed leaders in Arizona’s local communities. We thank our co-hosts and all who attended and made these gatherings meaningful in the following counties:
Pima County – United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona
Mohave County – First Things First La Paz/Mohave Region
Yuma County – Regional Center for Border Health, Inc and First Things First Yuma Region
We also thank the organizations featured in leadership spotlights in the Arizona KIDS COUNT Data Book: Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Regional Center for Border Health, Santa Cruz County Family Resource Centers, and the United Way of Northern Arizona.
Finally, we thank our State of Kids Roadshow Sponsor Mercy Care for being a part of each of these events and making the roadshow possible!
It's all about building an Arizona that is committed to thriving children and families. Visit these resources yourself to strengthen our collective advocacy:
Families First Forum Returns Nov. 3 – Register Today
The 2025 Families First Forum is almost here, happening Monday, November 3, 2025, at South Mountain Community College.
This annual, half-day convening brings together advocates, policymakers, and community leaders to learn the latest on factors impacting the state and federal budget, and policy changes impacting the lives of Arizona’s children and families.
We’re honored to feature two national voices who will help set the stage for this year’s discussion:
Alberto A. González, Jr., MPP Deputy Senior Director, State Government Relations – Families USA Alberto provides strategic leadership for Families USA’s state-level advocacy efforts. He previously served as Chief Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), leading major expansions in health and nutrition assistance programs. His career spans roles at UnidosUS, Community Catalyst, California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) and the California State Assembly.
Katie Hamm, MPA Principal – Next Step Early Childhood LLC Katie is the former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Previously, she served as Vice President for Early Childhood Policy at the Center for American Progress and worked at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget on budget and policy issues related to human services programs.
It’s a time for us to stay informed and to work collaboratively. Please join us - and please share this invitation with colleagues and networks who may be interested.
Our hearts are full of joy from sharing a meal in community while celebrating our extraordinary honorees. We are so thankful to everyone who helped make the 2025 Champions for Children Awards Luncheon a remarkable success. Whether you attended, sponsored, donated, or supported us, your contribution fuels our mission.
To those who attended, thank you for your presence and dedication to supporting our work to strengthen Arizona for children and families.
Congratulations again to our 2025 Champions!
Thank you to our Leadership Honorees:
Victoria Gray, Gray Nickel
Claire Louge, Prevent Child Abuse Arizona
Jessica Rivera-Garcia, Arizona Head Start Association
Dr. Eric Schindler
Vitalyst Foundation
In addition, we are proud to honor:
Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Governor of the Gila River Indian Community, as our Jacquee Steiner Public Official of the Year
Honorable Mary Rose Wilcox, former city council member and county supervisor, as the Lifetime Achievement Honoree.
We were honored to celebrate their commitment to service, unwavering leadership, and lasting impact on the lives of families and children across Arizona.
Our sincere gratitude to our incredible sponsors. Their support is foundational to this gathering and to our ability to carry out our mission.
Big shoutout to Los Mariachi Tigres de Tolleson and their director, Dr. Casillas. for kicking off our event for a second year in a row. What a talent! These elementary students have won awards and traveled the United States, captivating audiences in prestigious venues. We could not be more honored to have them perform at our event.
Lastly, we are forever grateful to the amazing Tom McNamara for bringing joy to the stage as the Master of Ceremonies of our event!
As we conclude our successful 2025 Champions for Children annual event, we feel honored and in gratitude to do this work alongside incredible change makers. United, we inspire change to build an Arizona where all children and families can thrive.
Cookie Consent
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
Websites store cookies to enhance functionality and personalise your experience. You can manage your preferences, but blocking some cookies may impact site performance and services.
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
Name
Description
Duration
Cookie Preferences
This cookie is used to store the user's cookie consent preferences.
